According to various reports, between 60 and 81 people were on board the hijacked airplane, the hijacker man is thought to be armed. The pilot of the hijacked Egyptair plane was threatened by a passenger with a suicide belt, according to an Egyptian Civil Aviation Ministry source (quoted by Reuters).
In a statement, the ministry said that the pilot, Omar al-Gammal, had informed authorities he was threatened by a passenger who possessed a suicide belt and forced him to land in Larnaca.
The police has no information on the bomb threat on board.
Our flight MS181 is officially hijacked. we'll publish an official statement now. #Egyptair
— EGYPTAIR (@EGYPTAIR) 29 March 2016
According to media reports, a crisis center has been set up in Cyprus to negotiate with the hijacker. The hijacker has allegedly allowed women and children to leave the plane. Cyprus Larnaca International Airport is closed; flights are being redirected to the city of Paphos and to neighboring countries.
We are investigating reports about a possible hijack of EgyptAir flight #MS181 that landed at Larnaca, Cyprus. pic.twitter.com/WdwTIYEwxF
— AviationSafety (@AviationSafety) 29 March 2016
The sources said the plane was an Airbus 320.
